Monday, April 11, 2016

Royalty, dirt and a little pig

It
seems like just yesterday we sent our last missive, but it has been six
weeks. We hope all who have ordered the first of the fourteen pinots
are enjoying them and are happy with our efforts. We have two new wines
to offer and a reliable favorite.

Clare
and I have evolved as a winemaker and an artist dramatically since we
started Big Table Farm almost ten years ago. I have gone from using the
memories and wisdom of mentors to creating my own set. The wines that I
make today are certainly still influenced by what I learned from others
so long ago, but I have filled in those lessons with many of my own. I
know what I want to drink and how to push to get there.

To that
end, the Elusive Queen and Earth most clearly demonstrate what I and
Clare feel represent what we are most proud to share. I joke, but in
all seriousness, if we can’t sell these wines, we will be happy to drink
them ourselves, and at just over 100 cases each we could certainly do
with time. These wines are not for everybody. They are for those who
know and want understand pinot noir and chardonnay, unquestionably some
of you know even more than I.

With almost 700 cases of chardonnay
and 3000 cases of pinot noir in our cellar for 2014 we felt that we
could pull out the best of the best barrels, blend and bottle them,
without having a dramatic impact on the regular bottlings.

I hope
that those of you who get to try these wines enjoy them, I hope that
this trial is a success because I would like to continue creating and
exploring the best that I can offer each year with what is presented to
me. Will these blends happen every year? I don’t know.

I
don’t remember who came up with the name Earth but I chose it. There
were other names bantered about but I chose Earth because it represents
so much and can mean so many different things, interpreted from a
plentitude of angles. It is our home, expansive and tiny at the same
time. Made simply of 118 elements, yet so profoundly complex. We have
known it for generation upon generation yet we continue to make
discoveries, both personally and scientifically. As I write I think
maybe I have chosen a name too grand, but I want this wine to make us
think about our home. Clare and I try to live each day in harmony with
ourselves, each other and all that is around us. We are not religious,
but we try to accept our humanity and try to live within the confines of
our home and what it can support.

As the wines are a departure
from our past the labels are also an artistic exploration. I remember
the day Clare was working on them. It was a beautiful Sunday (one of
the first we have started to take off). I was in and out of the house as
she worked with focus and intention. I left her alone and when she
finally showed me what she had come up with – I was a little shocked and
asked her what she had been smoking?

Absolutely
nothing she laughed (not her thing and I know it) and proceeded to
explain the significance of all that had been committed to paper. I
cannot remember all that she explained and I’m not sure I would/should
share if I could. I think it is up to you to make your own inferences,
to add to the enjoyment and mystery of drinking these wines.

The
name the Elusive Queen is inspired by Clare’s passion for keeping bees.
As you well know, our Willamette valley bottling of chardonnay always
has honey bee inspired drawings, so then should the barrel select.
Clare can tell the story better than I but the name came to her one day
as she was collecting a swarm of bees and wasn’t sure if the swarm
contained the queen, and then she caught a glimpse and knew the swarm
would turn into a successful hive.

Part II – April 8, 2016. Today
was a great day, cold and clear in the dark this morning as I opened up
the winery to prepare to bottle the 2015 Laughing Pig rosé and
edelzwicker (fall release). This was our fourth time bottling in our
new winery, and it gets easier every time. The bottling went smoothly,
Clare made everybody cornbread and chili for lunch. Jeff and I cleaned
up in the afternoon and now I am sipping 2015 Laughing Pig rose as I
write- admiring the cows graze new spring grass, dogs lazy in the sun on
the porch, and me taking it all in. The wines are TERRIFIC; I am
looking forward to having the Laughing Pig around all summer. I love to
take a glass out with me at the end of the day to the garden and spend
an hour or two hoeing weeds, puttering and planning, watering and
watching it all grow.

The laughing pig rosé is back – it
is as good as ever. We have just a little more than last year, and
from what I read in the wine business rags, rosé is increasingly popular
these days, so please don’t wait to order. I promise it will make any
occasion just a little bit better, a little laughing pig makes all
moments more memorable.